More than 6,000 volunteers worked 46,073 hours at Manna FoodBank last year helping with everything from sorting and washing sweet potatoes in the warehouse to offering legal and financial advice.

The nonprofit served 100,000 people in 16 counties through its partner food pantries.

"We definitely could not do that without our volunteers," said Executive Director Cindy Threlkeld.

She said some of the work is not glamorous, like sorting sweet potatoes. But there is always a lot of laughing among the volunteers in the warehouse.

"It's not only the hours that people devote, it's the spirit by which they go about the work, to me, that is impressive," she said.

The ranking is also no surprise to Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, which relies on volunteers to build houses, staff its store and handle some administrative duties.

Habitat is building 13 homes right now and has built 250 since it started 30 years ago. Its ReStore is third in the nation in sales among 750 other Habitat stores.

"I think one thing that helps Asheville is there are number young retirees here," said Ariane Kjellquist, Habitat's communications director.

The young retirees have time, and the energy, to give back, she said.

NerdWallet looked at 366 communities in its survey, which focused on the percentage of the population volunteering last year, the hours volunteers worked and the percentage of the median income donated.

The data came from the Corporation for National & Community Service and the Chronicle of Philanthropy, the company said.

The World Giving Index ranks the U.S. as the fifth most generous in the world, according to the company.

Asheville's volunteers will have a chance to get out and work soon on national Make A Difference Day, which is Oct. 26. It is the nation's largest community service day.

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Asheville 10th most charitable U.S. city

The city is among the 10 most charitable in the nation, according to a new study, with a whopping 32 percent of people volunteering their time.